While working on a class paper, Carolyn Vallier said, she was interrupted by the one of the fire alarms that have occurred frequently in Noyer Complex this semester.
Jim Clevenger, battalion chief for the Muncie Fire Department, said since April 16 Noyer has had 22 calls and more than 15 calls were results of fire alarms.
"It looks like we are heading out every couple of weeks," he said.
None of the calls were because of an actual fire, he said, but were results of alarms.
The fire department sends three pumpers, one rescue truck, one ladder truck and a chief officer when MFD receives a call from a complex such as Noyer, Clevenger said.
"We dispatch fire trucks and men based on the size of the structure and height and the amount of people at any time," he said. "They get a full complement of trucks."
David Miller, chief investigator for MFD, said although 22 seems like a large amount, LaFollette Complex had 20 calls in the past six months.
Tim Kirby, Ball State University safety specialist, said the numbers from the fire station and the university's numbers were not in agreement.
"I can tell you that right now they have not had that many [alarms]," he said.
The alarms are meeting their objective by being sensitive, he said.
"Something they can be set off with [is] a minute amount of smoke or hair spray in the halls," Kirby said. "You have to do that to give the fire department ample time to go there."
David Young, a sophomore living in Noyer, said the alarms did not have to be as sensitive as they are.
"With all the people living in a dorm," he said, "I think one person would manage to pull the alarm instead of having the system so sensitive."
Kirby said the university was not trying to punish those who cause the alarms when cooking or doing other activities.
"It's very difficult to pinpoint [offenders]," he said. "It's not a blame game. We just want to get the message across."
Sue Weller, director of facilities business services and transportation, said the university tries to educate students in order to cut down on false alarms.
"We try to have everyone understand there is a cost to false alarms," she said.
Kirby said with a system that encompasses multiple floors and monitors a group of students so large, the university has a difficult job monitoring it.
"We do make every effort," he said. "It is a tough job [with] how many students are living in the dorms and you have to keep track of each one of them. I think we do quite well."
Kirby said the fire alarms are regularly checked to ensure increased safety.
"Fire alarms are checked once a year," he said. "Each one of them are itemized and individually checked."
The detectors also are tested every two years for a sensitivity test, he said, which is when a machine covers the entire detector and surrounds the detector with varying amounts of smoke.
The alarms are well regulated, Kirby said.
Brandon Heal, a sophomore Noyer resident, said the university could be more efficient in student evacuations during fire alarms.
"One way to cut down is in the wing where the alarm went off," he said. "Just evacuate that wing, and if it spreads, evacuate the whole building."
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